Conference nyoss1::market_investing

    
    just out of curiosity, what is the bid-ask spread on an 8�/share
    stock?  If you were to invest $1500, what percent would go to
    round-trip commissions? 

    It's pretty steep: 3� bid vs. 8� asked. Nonetheless I bought some
    shares recently. A friend who has also invested says that this company
    has more lives than a cat :-)

    
    re: It's pretty steep: 3� bid vs. 8� asked
    
    so if the true but unobservable fair price is about 5.5�, and you pay
    both halves of the spread on a round trip transaction, you need a
    capital gain (after taxes) of close to 100% to break even.
    
    for example, if the true price rises to 11� and we assume that the
    corresponding bid price is somewhere in the neighborhood of 8.5�, then 
    you've made .5/8 = 6.25% before taxes when the underlying security 
    rises by 100% in value.  Commissions may take the rest.  Not a good ratio.
    
    /jim      
    

    
    Do you have any more info on Hunter Envirenmental, I am interested but
    I would like to find out more about it.  What is the ticker symble and
    on what market is it traiding on.
    
    Thanks  Frank

    There is no ticker symbol; it's a "pink sheet" stock, i.e., one that is
    very small. A friend of mine in the office tracks this company pretty
    closely. She says that the company applied for its permits last year,
    and had ever expectation of getting them because Lloyd Benston thought
    it was a good idea and wanted to draw business to the Texas. They Lloyd
    went to D.C. to head the treasury department, and support for the
    company's proposal was weakened. A commission initially denied their
    permit, and the stock went down; then the local judge did not overrule
    the commission's decision, and the stock went way down. There was a
    perception that they were a bunch of New Englanders who were trying to
    move in and set up shop in Texas. However, their appeal will be tried
    at the state court of appeals, where it is expected to fare better; and
    the company has hired a Texas law firm to work on the case.
    
    I see it as
    a somewhat risky investment with a potentially huge upside, if they win
    their appeal. Certainly nuclear plants are going to need to get rid of
    their waste, rather than just storing it onsight in what look like big
    swimming pools. Also, from what I heard, the company already owns the
    land with the abandoned salt mines where it proposes to stash the
    waste; so the company does have assets.

    Bought this over a year ago at 7�. Hovered between there and 18� for a long
    time; called in today and it was quoted at 35�. 400% is a nice return
    on my small investment ("gamble" is a more appropriate term). Am trying to
    gather news about the sudden upswing now.
    				Jim